Material-handling mechanism



Feb. l2, 1929. 1,701,750

' M. E. FIRST MATERIAL HANDLING MECHANISM Filed ootjasl 1922 4 sheets-sheet l I N VEN TOR.

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ATTORN 5' INVENTOR. .122.72 /012 fflzis'lf 4 Sheets-Sheet M. E. FIRST MATERIAL HANDLING MECHANISM Filed OCT.. 25. 1922 Feb. l2, 1929.

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1,701,750 M. E. FIRST MATERIAL HANDLING MECHANI SM Filed om. 25. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 s i il'llillr Y IN V EN TOR.

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M. E. FIRST MATERIAL HANDLING MFCHANISM Filed Oct. 25. 1922 4 Sheets-Shea?l 4 Patented Feb. 12, 1929.

llltlTfE STATES* 1,701,750 Periferia oFricE.

MAHLON E. FIRST, 0F T IAKEVVOOID,` 0H10,ASSIGNOR 'EO THE C. BARTLETT SG'NOVJ' COMPANY, 0F CLEVELAND, OI-IO, A CORPORATON OF OHIG.

MATERIAL-HANDLING ISCECHAIGISM.

Application sied capter se, 192e. sensi no.

The present improvements relating, as indicated7 to material handling mechanism have more particular regard to .mechanism for loading, i. e. transferring, material `into railway cars, trucks or the like that may be brought successively to a loading station. Conversely said mechanism may be employed in the removalot material from such vehicles. rl`he object ofr they invention is to provide a machine for the general use stated that will be sufiiciently flexible so that the material may be delivered at various elevations and at least in either of two opposite directions Having regard to the particular use ols vthe machine referred to, i. e. for loading railway cars, and more especially box cars, the construction of the machine is such to permit such loading to be carried on in the case ot cars standing on tracks on either side of theV machine and, if desired, the latter may be.

adapted to handle material in connection with cars on either of tWo parallel tracks on cach such side.

'lo the accomplishment o the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter ully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawings and the following description setting forth in detail. certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one ofvaiious mechanical forms in which the principle oit the invention may be used. p g

ln said annexed drawings K Fig. l is a side elevation of a machine einbodying my present improvements, such machine being primarily designed lor loading cars as aforesaid 5 F ig. 2 is a transverse section of such machine on a somewhat larger scale, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 2-2, Figs. l and 3; Fig. 8 is a similar transverse section taken on the plane indicated bythe line SW3, Fig. 2; Fig. l is a transverse section on the plane indicated by the lines 4 4-, Figs. l and 3; and Fig. 5 is a vieiv similar to Fig. l but showing a modilication of the machine. c y f lt has not been deemed necessary for the purpose in hand to illustrate the main .sup-

porting structure upon which the mechanism of present interest is mounted other than to indicate in Figs. l and 2 the beams l Whereon are supported laterally spaced coaxial bearing blocks 2 from which the main :trame ot the machine is oscillatorily suspended. Such main frame, as best shown in Figs. l and 2, comprises tivo similar side members 3 Which may be in the form oi'f castings or builtup of suitably reinforced plates and which are ot irregular polygonal outline, as shown in such F ig. l. The upper end of each such side mem ber terminates in an outwardly directed yoke 4 through which passes a pin 5 that serves to secure said member in the corresponding bearing bloclr 2. Saidcside members are con-V nectedtogether by, means of a plurality ot transverse bars 5 attached near their respectiveflouer edges and forming an assembled structureon the order of cradle, it being in Vthis cradle that the various operativeparts or the machine are carried.

This cradle-like structure Withk the various parts carried thereby is angularly positioned about the airis definedbythe pins 5 whereby such cradle is suspended from bearings 2 'through the medium of tivo similar arcuate racks l0, located one adjacent the outergtace of each side member `,said racks being lire edly secured to the .supporting structure l and being engaged by pinions l1 on a transverse shaft l2 jcurnaled in said side members. The ellect of rotating said shaft in one rdirection or the other will obviously be to rock the cradle about the common axis of pins 5 in a corresponding direction, For the purpose ing mechanism carried by the cradle will of course serve but that shown in m 'ik n'eterred a c .l l

construction comprises an electricmotor 13 disposed with its airis on longitudinal median line of the machine. The motor is thus mounted near one end of ythe cradle and its spindle is directly connected with an aligned shaft la, supported in suitable bearings, that entends towards the opposite end kof such cradle Where it is connected through spur gearing l5 to drive tivo parallel shafts 16 and i7. rlhe latter are adapted to be optionally thus driven from said shaft 'lll through the medium of interposed clutches 18 and 19 and `are in turnconnected with worm reduction gearing of standard design` encased inhousings 2O and 2l, respectively From tly elatter, transverse shafts 22 and 23, respectively, eX- tend in opposite directions, being journaled at their outer ends in suitable bearings provided` in the adjacent side 'trames 3 of the cradle. @ne such shaft, viz, shaft 22, is connected to drive said shaft l2 through spur gearing 24.-, While the other shaftserves another purpose, as will be presently described.

It will be understood that the motor 13 is of the reversible type and that suitable switches for controlling samemay be located remote from the machine along with suitable controlling devices for the clutches 18 and 19.

The conveying mechanism proper, in the illustrative form shown, comprises an endless belt that passes around two large rollers or drums 31, respectively mounted in the opposite ends of an elongated frame 32 that is longitudinally adjustably supported in the aforesaid cradle. Said frame, as best shown in 2, comprises side channel members 33 suitably joined together as by cross bars or plates 3l so as to form a rigid structure, the lower edges of said channel members being reinforced by angular rails 35 that are adapted to contact with two pairs of flanged rollers 36 in the cradle, which thus serve as the direct means for movably supporting said frame as aforesaid. ln order to hold the frame on said rollers 36, a third pair of rollers 37, conveniently mounted on the same pins 5 that .form the oscillatory support for the cradle, are disposed so as to contact with the upper face of the frame on each side thereof. Said rollers 37, it will be noted (see Fig. 1), are located approximately midway of the two pairs of rollers 36 and thus serve to maintain the conveyor frame in xed angular relation to the cradle, irrespective of oscillation of the latter, and at the same time said Conveyor frame is left free to move in a longitudinal direction between the several pairs ofrollers.

rlhe load of material carried by the conveyor belt 30 will of course rest on the upper lap thereof and, accordingly, in order properly to support the same, a number of intermediate transversely disposed rollers 38 is provided on the upper side of said conveyor frame. The respective sides of such upper lap of belt 30 are furthermore guarded by means of longitudinally extending plates 39 supported from channel members 33 through the medium of brackets Ll-O. In order that the conveyor belt 30may be maintained under proper tension, a roller al1, similar to rollers 38, is mounted in the conveyor frame in position to contact with the lower lap of the belt, as shownv in Fig. 1, such roller being adjustable transversely of the plane of the belt, as`

will be readily understood.

For the purpose of longitudinally moving the conveyor frame in either direction as desired between the several pairs of rollers 36 and 37, suitable driving connections are provided between the same and the shaft 23 hereinbefore referred to as being driven through clutch 19 and reduction gearing 21 from the same motor 13 that is utilized to oscillate the cradle, together with the mechanism thus carried thereby, about the common axis of "pins 5. Such last mentioned driving connections include a pinion 46 on said shaft 23 that is connected to drive a spur gear 47 and thus the shaft 43 whereon the latter is fixed.' Such shaft t8 is in turn provided with spaced spur pinions 4:9 that engage with rack teeth 50 formed on the under sides of the rails 35 whereby the conveyor frame isV rnovablysupported on the flanged wheels 36, as previously described. Rotation of such shaft'lS in one direction or the other will accordingly serve to move said conveyor frame in the cor esponding direction so as to cause the latter to projectto the right beyond the cradle, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, or to the left without change in the angular position of the cradle, as shown in dotted outline in the same figure. Obviously any intermediate position may be given the conveyor frame and the angle of inclination of the frame will of course be varied as the cradle is rocked about the axis whereon it is hung.

The conveyor belt 30 is driven vfrom a separate motor that is attached to the under side of the conveyor frame near one end tiereof, the left end, as shown in Fig. 1. This motor is connected with the adjacent roller or drum 31 through the medium of a standard reduction gear 61 and a spur gear 62 that meshes in turn with a spur gear 63 on the shaft of said drinn. As in the case of motor 13, said motor 60 may, if desired, be of reversible type so that the conveyor belt may bedriven in either direction as desired, a suitable control for said motor being` provided at a point remote from the machine or at some point thereon at all times accessible to the operator, as need not be described in detail.

Thus in the second dotted position shown in Fig. 1, said conveyor frame has its left end tilted upwardly and its right end downwardly so as to bring such right end, which is intended Ain the construction shown to be the discharge end of the machine, into position to deliver material received on the conveyor belt into a car body or other suitable receptacle. For the purpose of properly distributing material within such car body, a supplemental loading device, such as the Maniere loader 51, shown in dotted outline in Fig. 1, may be employed, and the material may be supplied to the conveyor belt from a discharge chute 52 located above the machine or in any other suitable manner, neither such loader 51 nor such supply vmeans 52 constituting any part of the present invention.

The operation of the machine as a whole will require but brief additional explanation in view of the foregoing description of the several component parts and the operation thereof, respectively. The cradle which constitutes the main frame of the machine will be rocked about its axis to properly incline the conveyor frame so Vas to discharge thek freight cars standing on either of tvvo parallel tracks. Furthermore, by changing the direction of movement of the conveyor belt, the machine is at once adapted for corresponding delivery into cars extending on either of two parallel tracks on the opposite side of the machine. rlilhe delivery end of the conveyor frame may not only be adjusted initially to any elevation, but may be raised as the loading operation proceeds and the car body or other receptacle is iilled.

Finally, as shown in Fig. 5, the machine, instead of being supported on a stationary framework, may be mounted on a turntable, i. e., the supports for the bearings 2 from which the cradle is hung may be mounted on a platform rotatable about a vertical axis either central With respect to the machine or ohervvise as desired. In this Way the radius of action for the machine will be correspondingly increased. o

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention l. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a suitable support, a frame oscillatorily mounted thereon, a second frame longitudinally reciprocable in said first frame, a conveyor carried by said ysecond frame, and means in said rst frame respectively adapted to oscillate samerelatively to said support and to reciprocate said second frame, said oscillating means including an arcuate rack on said support anda motordriven pinion on said first frame 1n engagement With said rack.

2. In mechanism of the character de-V scribed, the combination of a suitable support, a frame oscillatorily mounted thereon, a second frame longitudinally reciprocable in said first frame, a conveyor carried by said second frame, and means in said first frame respectively adapted to oscillate same relatively to said support and to reciprocate said second frame, said reciprocating means including a straight rack on said second frame and a motor-driven pinion on said first frame in engagement with said rack.

3, In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a suitable support, a frame oscillatorily mounted thereon, a second frame longitudinally reciprocable in said first frame, a conveyor carried by said second frame, an arcuaterack on said support, a straight rack on said second frame, pinions inisaid first frame respectively meshing with said racks, and a motor on said irst frame connected to drive said pinions as desired. V

t. In mechanism of the character described, the combination of a suitable support, a cradle-like frame oscillatorily mounted thereon, a second frame, longitudinally reciprocable in' said frame, a conveyor carried by said second frame, and means in common for oscillating the said cradle-like frame and reciprocatingsaid second frame, said means including a segmental rack Xed to said support and a shaft in said cradle-like frame and carrying a gear in mesh With said rack.

In mechanism' of the character described, the combination of tvvo co-axial spaced bearings, a depending cradle-like frame oscillatorily supported from said bearings between the same, suitable guides in said frame, a second frame held in said guides so as to be longitudinally reciprocable transversely of the axis of said rst frame, a conveyor carried by said second frame, a rack and pinion for oscillating said first frame, another rack and pinion for reciprocating said second frame, a motor mounted inv said first frame y with its spindle disposed transversely of the axis of oscillation of said frame, shafts lying parallel With said motor spindle and adapted to be optionally intergeared therewith, and Worin-reduction gearing connecting said last mentioned shafts With said pinions, respectively.

Signed by me this 16th day of October, 1922.

MAHLON E. FIRST. 

